Spike Albrecht is the surprise NCAA championship MVP

Apr. 8, 2013
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Spike Albrecht / USA TODAY Sports

by Chris Chase, USA TODAY Sports

by Chris Chase, USA TODAY Sports

Spike Albrecht, the freshman backup for national player of the year Trey Burke, lit the NCAA championship on fire Monday night, scoring 17 points in an improbable 20 minutes that solidified his place amongst the most unexpected NCAA heroes in history. His performance would have been remarkable in any circumstance, but was especially stunning given the eight minutes and 1.8 points he averaged this season.

-- He had 24 points in Big Ten games. Combined.

-- It took him the first 10 regular season games to get to the 17-point mark.

-- Albrecht hit four three-pointers in the first half. From Christmas until the end of Michigan's regular season, he hit a total of four three-pointers.

-- Up until the Final Four win over Syracuse, Albrecht hadn't had a game with multiple three-pointers all season. Through the first half, he was 9-9 in the NCAA tournament, tying Sam Cassell's record for most threes hit in the tournament without a miss. He had nine threes during the entire regular season.

-- In the previous five NCAA tournament games, he had a total of 19 points.

-- His given name is Michael. He has siblings nicknamed Chachi and T-Baby. He won that game too, apparently.

-- Only one other school gave Albrecht a scholarship offer. It was noted NCAA powerhouse, and noted Michigan nuisance, Appalachian State.

"The bigger the stage the better he plays. Yeah, it's surprising but it's Spike."